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Camping with the Wizards of Oz
by MANPREET KAUR SINGHI am a skeptic who isn't easily impressed. Equally, I'm open-minded, always looking for a new experience. When we decided at the last minute to go the Annual Youth Camp, organized by Sikh Naujawan of Melbourne, Australia, I wasn't sure what to expect.
Somewhere at the back of my mind, I was a bit apprehensive, unsure if my three children aged 12, 8 and 5 would enjoy the experience, since we hardly knew anyone else attending the camp. But the next five days turned out to be our best holiday ever - perhaps even better than our trip to Disneyland, since this wasn't just fun for the senses. It was a complete experience for the mind, body and soul which left us refreshed, recharged and completely energized.
The idyllic setting of Rutherford Park Country Retreat at Daylesford was the first indication of the five days of bliss in store for us - the tranquil retreat, nestled amongst scenic hills, surrounded by lush meadows complete with a stream flowing by, instantly generated a sense of peace and calm, both within and without. And yes, the mobile phones didn't work either, so we were definitely far,far away from the madding crowd!
There were star attractions at the camp too - acclaimed musician Dya Singh was there and so were three special guests who came all the way from Malaysia: the inspirational Harcharanjit Singh (fondly called Raja by the young and the old), the aerobics guru Daljit Singh (also called double ‘A') and Sukhdev Singh Success, the well known motivational speaker and disciple of Bob Proctor. But the real stars of the camp were the dozens of children who effortlessly woke up at 6 am to be in time for paath, and went though a vast array of activities till late at night. Amazingly, they were up again the next morning at 6, without a whimper of protest, and in fact looking forward to a brand new day.
The children attending were divided into four jathas, like home groups at school, where all age-groups come together as a core unit. Each jatha was assigned a rolling roster of duties which included leading paath, serving food, cleaning up, and participating in the kirtan competition as well as the cultural show. They got points for doing their jobs well, and some got bonus points for vacuuming the place, or making an extra effort!!
Undoubtedly, some families went along just to hear Dya ji sing - it's not often that one gets the chance to hear a musician of Dya ji's caliber, live, up close and personal, for five consecutive days. But this camp was not just about him or any other facilitator alone - it was a massive team effort with many different facets. Typically the day began with Asa di Vaar kirtan by Dya ji at 5am, which was an absolutely divine start to the day. The children came to the darbar at 6.45 am, and one of the jathas led the recitation of Japji Sahib. After breakfast, they were divided according to their age groups for their morning activities, followed by inspirational sessions by Raja, who was unmistakably the Pied Piper of Daylesford. He enchanted everyone with his sessions which were not just historical and motivational, but also richly peppered with humor.
In fact, a story he narrated became a metaphor for the whole camp - he mentioned that driving through the Australian countryside for the first time in a car, someone sitting next to him shouted out - "Look, there's a koala on the tree there". Unfortunately, he missed seeing it. But then, according to him, for the next half hour all he did was "look for a koala". As Raja said,"I missed everything else that passed by. I must have passed by wonderful sights, tall hills, and beautiful countryside, but I didn't pay attention, since I was only looking for the koala."
The moral of the story: enjoy life as it comes, in all its entirety. Don't just "look for koalas", take the time to enjoy everything else that comes your way. It's things like this that children and adults alike, could relate to easily and everyone was inspired to shift their perspective to some degree.
After lunchtime came group activities and personality development for the children. Then at around 4pm, everyone donned their joggers for a group aerobics workout with Daljit - everyone from the age of 6 to 60 joined in, first to funky western music and then came the balle-balle workout with Bhangra music. Tired and sweaty, everybody rushed back to their well fitted-out cabins, to be back for dinner and evening darbar. Throughout the day, there were motivational sessions for adults with Sukhdev Singh Success as well, this year's theme being "Sikhi: A love affair with myself". In late evenings, Dr Harpal Singh held well-being sessions, talking about women's health and depression, among other things.
On two of the nights, there was kirtan competition among the various jathas and the grand finale was on the last night when they had a cultural competition. Although the competitive spirit was encouraged, and it made the children more innovative (some used spoons and rice shakers as accompanying music for kirtan), every single child felt like a winner. My little 5-year old learnt many "Sikh rhymes", one of which is "kirt karni, naam japna, wand chhakna" which has been adapted to the tune of "Waltzing Matilda". Another two are "Incy Wincy Khalsa" (based on "Incy Wincy Spider") and "Khalsa Bridge is Very Strong" (based on "London Bridge is Falling Down").
So now, instead of singing Christmas carols -- which is what he remembered most in January, soon after Christmas-- he sings the hummable tunes he learnt at camp. My 8-year old son appreciated doing seva for the first time- when his jatha was on duty, he learnt to serve others before filling his own plate and wiped plates/dishes after they were washed. My 12-year old daughter found she could turn strangers into friends pretty soon, and has now learnt how to do ardas.
It was marvelous to see the ease with which my children (and all others) slipped into the camp routine: children who had never done paath or kirtan before, actually sat on stage and performed in front of others. Not just that, they enjoyed every single minute of it; even today, a month after the camp, they have stuck to the routine of doing paath and are actually enjoying it. Perhaps there is no greater joy for a parent than to see their children connect with the spiritual self. And the most amazing revelation for me has been to see that it's never too early to embark on this journey - that we should never underestimate the capabilities of our children, since they can achieve a lot more than we think!
So all in all, it was a blissful experience for each one of us. We had never been to a holistic holiday like this ever before. And it would be sacrilege on my part to not mention the sumptuous food prepared so lovingly and tirelessly by the wonderful sevadars at camp. Punjabis are known to ‘live to eat' and many of us lived up to that reputation, since every single meal was a culinary delight - from makki di roti and chholey to pasta, lasagna and mee goreng. So with great food, scenic location, congenial company, kirtan & paath, exercise and activities, what more could one ask for in a holiday?
Perhaps it was best summed up by my daughter when she asked,"Mum, do we have to wait a WHOLE year before the next camp?" Well, we know for sure where we'll be from December 26 to 31 this year (the dates for the next camp). There's nowhere else we would rather be; and certainly, we won't be looking just for koalas anymore!
For further info on next year's camp, visit www.sikhnaujawanmelbourne.com.au
[Top photo: courtesy - Dinodia]